John Stones And Ruben Dias Are Getting Compared To Paolo Maldini And Alessandro Nesta
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Manchester City fans are comparing defensive duo John Stones and Ruben Dias to AC Milan legends Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta.
The pair have formed an imperious partnership at the heart of a City defence that has conceded just seven goals in their last 20 games.
In today's early-kick off against West Ham, Stones and Dias were unable to keep yet another clean sheet but instead they were both on the scoresheet as City made it 20 wins in a row in all competitions.
Former Benfica defender Dias opened the scoring with a powerful header from a glorious left-footed cross from Kevin De Bruyne, before Michail Antonio scored a rare goal past the league leaders on the stroke of half-time.
But it was Stones who came up with the winner in the second half, finishing like a veteran striker for his fourth goal of the campaign after some great play from Riyad Mahrez down the right.
Incredibly, it means that Stones and Dias have scored more goals (5) than they have conceded (3) in the 16 games they have started together.
City supporters can't get enough of their first-choice centre-back pairing at the moment and were full of reaction to them following another historic victory:
Speaking about his understanding with Dias in January, Stones told the Manchester Evening News: "It's not easy coming to a major club like Manchester City and putting a stamp like he has done, the level he has shown in every game. I think it's a massive credit to him.
"It's been great for me to play alongside him. He is so easy to get on with on and off the pitch.
"We kept a lot of clean sheets and we have just clicked. When it happens like that, you just enjoy playing football. I'm definitely enjoying playing with him and hopefully we can continue for a long time."
City are now 13 points clear of rivals Manchester United ahead of their trip to Chelsea on Sunday.
Topics: Manchester City, Paolo Maldini, Football, Ruben Dias, John Stones
